Good oral health enables an individual to eat, speak and socialise without active disease, discomfort or embarrassment and contributes to general well-being. National planning for oral health improvement must be underpinned by a solid understanding of the state of oral health, of deficiencies in either oral health status or the service delivery system, and of opportunities to rectify them. This report seeks to provide that understanding so as to contribute to the goals of improvement of oral health and the delivery of better dental care to all Australians.